US Agricultural research supported by tax-exempt donations?

Legislation has been introduced in the U.S. Senate to allow tax-exempt donations to support agricultural research as a means to help keep American agriculture on the forefront of food production breakthroughs.

The Charitable Agriculture Research Act (S.1561) is a bipartisan measure authored by Senate Agriculture Committee chairman Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) and co-sponsored by Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.). Following the precedent set by medical research organizations (MROs), the legislation would amend the tax code to allow charitable, tax-exempt donations to agricultural research organizations (AROs).

Cochran: “This legislation would create a new avenue beyond government-funded research to support new advances in agriculture technology.”